Reba McEntire haunted by missed call from Dolly Parton a month before her death: ‘I’ll never know why’

Reba McEntire revealed she missed a call from Dolly Parton and was unable to reconnect before the county music icon’s death about a month later.

“She did call me the last of July, and I was in a meeting and I missed her call,” the “Fancy” singer told Entertainment Tonight in an interview shared Friday.

“I tried to get back in touch with her, and I couldn’t. Never made connection,” she continued.

McEntire, 71, then noted that when she got word that “Dolly’s gone” on Aug. 25, she thought, “I’ll never know why she called me.”

However, she remains hopeful that she’ll “find out one day.”

Earlier this month, McEntire honored Parton at the Emmy Awards with a performance of the late singer’s song “Appalachian Memories.”

The “Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” singer wore a sparkling white dress as she delivered a stirring rendition of the emotional song with the backing of a live symphony.

Following Parton’s death last month at the age of 80, McEntire took to social media to share a tribute for her fellow country music star and longtime friend.

“Well, I just got the news that my buddy Dolly passed onto the higher and greater side,” she wrote at the time. “Dolly, thank you for all the wonderful things you did for us here on earth.”

“Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart,” she added. “There will never ever be another you. We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang.”

McEntire went on to say Parton was “gonna have a blast in heaven singing all her favorite songs with all her family and friends who have gone on before her,” and that she’ll “never forget” the first time they met or their last conversation.

“I hold it with love in my heart,” she said of those memories.

Elsewhere in her Entertainment Tonight interview, McEntire called the last time she was able to speak with Parton “really special” and she “didn’t want to let her go” despite knowing she was busy.

Parton’s cause of death was confirmed the same day she died, as her representatives announced she had been secretly battling cancer.

“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” her reps confirmed in a statement to Page Six Tuesday, without elaborating on the kind of cancer.

Days later, Parton’s loved ones gathered at a Nashville burial site and the “Jolene” singer was laid to rest at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum next to late husband Carl Dean.

Dean died in March 2025 at the age of 82.

Parton’s sisters, Freida and Stella, has cryptically addressed online rumors of a family feud after the “9 to 5” singer’s death, as Parton’s nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, was fired.

The later Grammy winner’s longtime manager, Danny Nozell, has filed a lawsuit against Seaver, alleging he tried to extort money and made deadly threats, but insiders tell Page Six they fear Nozell just “wants the family out of the picture.”